Morning Roundup: May 16

DEMOCRAT TIM KAINE’S last-minute attempt as Virginia governor to return an imprisoned murderer to his native Germany, where he likely would have been freed in two years, is threatening to emerge as a key issue in one of the most anticipated U.S. Senate races next year, according to The Washington Times. National Republicans are in hot pursuit of records from Mr. Kaine’s last year as governor that they say could shed light on why he tried to return Jens Soering instead of allowing him to serve a life sentence in a U.S. prison.

JUVENILE ARRESTS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA have skyrocketed this year, the Washington Examiner reports. The number of children under 18 arrested and charged with violent crimes — homicide, rape and aggravated assault — has risen 10 percent so far this year compared with the similar period last year. Burglary arrests of juveniles jumped 90 percent, while robberies shot up 173 percent, according to information supplied to the paper by the Metropolitan Police Department.

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A D.C. COUNCIL COMMITTEE has recommended the District of Columbia not close a tax loophole for multistate corporations if future budget predictions for the next fiscal year can more than cover the $22 million the change was expected to raise, the Washington Examiner reports. It’s one of several key measures that will be debated today by council members during an hours-long budget discussion.

Mayor Vincent C. Gray, a Democrat, included in his fiscal 2012 budget proposal the $22 million expected to be raised by “combined reporting,” a tax-restructuring measure that prevents multistate companies such as Home Depot, CVS and Starbucks from hiding profits earned in the District in states that won’t tax them. The committee must have a budget proposal ready for a May 25 vote.

THE DRIVER IN A CRASH early Sunday in Olney that killed a young man and two teens is scheduled to appear in court this morning in Montgomery County, according to news reports. The accident occurred about 3:10 a.m. when a 2007 Toyota Corolla going east on Laytonsville Road, left the road and struck a tree, police said. The driver, identified as Kevin Coffay, 20, fled the accident scene, at the intersection of Volunteer Drive. He was apprehended about three hours later, according to The Washington Times. Mr. Coffay and all four passengers were students at Magruder High School in Rockville. Haeley N. McGuire, 18, was still a senior at the school.

FORMER ALEXANDRIA POLICE CHIEF David P. Baker, who retired after a 2009 DUI arrest, now is considering a run for City Council. Three days after leaving jail for the arrest, Mr. Baker filmed a public service announcement titled “Even a Police Chief Can Get Nailed Drunk Driving.” He since has spoken at schools, the Alexandria jail and police roll calls. Unexpectedly, people told him his story moved them, Mr. Baker tells The Washington Post.

A VIRGINIA TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE spent nearly 30 hours of agency time over two weeks playing Civilization IV, a computer role-playing game, according to a state audit. In response to a complaint that Matthew Bolick, a Culpeper District land use engineer, was spending about six hours a day on personal use of the Internet on his computer, the state began monitoring his activity in February, according to the Washington Examiner.

MARYLAND GOP REP. ANDY HARRIS and other Republicans nationwide are under renewed pressure from the tea party and other conservative groups to take a tough stand against raising the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, after a months-long battle over government spending and budget deficits in Washington, according to the Baltimore Sun.